Apparatus for forming and inserting looped threads in surgical sponges



Dec. 27, 1966 H. E. NICOL APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND INSERTING LOOPEDTHREADS IN SURGICAL SPONGE-S 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1963INVENTQR HERBERT E. NICOL ATTORNEYS Dec. 27, 1966 H. E. NICOL 3,293,699

APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND INSERTING LOOPED THREADS IN SURGICAL SPONGESFlled Sept 25 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JWIIJrI/IIA INVENTOR HERBERT E.NICOL ATTORNEYS Dec. 27, 1966 H. E. NICOL APPARATUS FOR FORMING ANDINSER Filed Sept. 25, 1963 3,293,699 'rme LOOPED THREADS IN SURGICALSPONGES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HERBERT E. NICOL.

BY @mfi ATTORNEYS Dec. 27, 1966 c 3,293,699

APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND INSERTING LOOPED THREADS 1N SURGICAL SPONGESFiled Sept. 25, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR HERBERT E. N COLATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,293,699 APPARATUS FOR FORMING ANDINSERTING LOOPED THREADS IN SURGICAL SPONGES Herbert E. Nicol,Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Pratt Manufacturing Corp., Milwaukee, Wis.,a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Sept. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 310,655 10Claims. (Cl. 19-145) This invention relates to improvements in apparatusfor forming and inserting looped threads in surgical sponges.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide surgical sponges or absorbentpads with X-ray-responsive tracer threads therein whereby apost-operative X-ray will disclose whether or not a sponge has beeninadvertently left within the patients body.

Heretofore, surgical sponges with X-ray-responsive tracer threads havenot been entirely satisfactory because there was always the possibilityof the thread being confused with internal body structure.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide improvedapparatus for looping the thread at spaced intervals as it is being laidon a web of gauze to provide a pattern having a series of distinctiveloops so that when the gauze is formed into pads each pad has aplurality of nonsuperimposed closed loops connected by single threads ofthe X-ray-responsive thread as is disclosed in co-pending application ofPratt and Nicol, Serial No. 144,483, filed October 11, 1961, now US.Patent No. 3,133,538.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide improved apparatushaving means for continuously feeding a length of X-ray-responsivethread toward the nip between two rollers, having means for continuouslyfeeding gauze to said nip, and having means for forming loops at regularintervals in the thread just before the gauze is pressed against thethread by the coacting rollers.

A further more specific object of the invention is to provide apparatusas above described wherein novel means is employed for twisting andadvancing a part of the thread longitudinally at a faster rate than theWithdrawal move ment of the gauze to provide a slack section with atwist, whereby a loop is formed in said slack section, and forimmediately thereafter pressing the web of gauze against the loopedportion of the thread.

Other specific objects of the invention are to provide apparatus asabove described which is relatively simple in operation, relativelyinexpensive to manufacture, which is easily adjusted, and which isotherwise well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of theimproved apparatus for forming and inserting looped threads in surgicalsponges, and all of its parts and combinations, as set forth in theclaims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred form of theinvention, wherein like reference numerals designate the same parts inall of the views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus looking principally at thetop thereof to show the looping mechanism;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on a line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view looking principally from the top and at anangle from one side showing the looping blades at the start of aloop-forming operation;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top view of the blades showing an advancedposition from that of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mechanism of FIG. 4 showing a stillfarther advanced loop-forming position of the parts;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the position of the partsjust after a loop has been formed;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a length of web after the threadhas been pressed thereon;

FIG. 8 is a plan View of a finished pad or surgical sponge;

FIG. 9 is a partially diagrammatic plan view of the blade-carrying armsshowing the thread-twisting stroke of the blades; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of FIG.9 showing how the clockwise twist of the thread is accomplished.

Referring more particularly first to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings theapparatus includes a suitable frame 10. Journaled transversely in theframe is a cam shaft 11 on which a cam 12 is mounted. The periphery ofthe cam is engaged by a follower roller 13 on an arm 14 which has itsupper end rigid with a shaft 15. The arm is normally urged inwardly by aspring 16 which has one end connected to the lower end of the arm as at17, and which has its other end adjustably connected as at 18 with adepending bracket 19 on the frame. The spring 16 normally urges thefollower against the cam. Movement of the arm 14 by the spring 16, asdictated by the shape of the cam 12, causes rocking of the shaft 15 andoscillatory movement of arms 20 and 21 which are also rigid with theshaft 15. The arm 20 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 22. Theother end of the link is pivoted to an arm 23 rigidly connected to andprojecting from a vertical shaft 24, the latter being suitably journaledin bearings 25 on the frame. Another arm 26 has its inner end rigidlyconnected to the upper end of the shaft 24 and has a pin 27 projectingupwardly from its outer end. The upper end of the pin 27 is connected toone end of a feed arm 28. The outer end of the feed arm has a thinflexible blade 29, prefearbly of metal, projecting at right anglestherefrom (see FIG. 3).

The other arm 21 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 30. Theother end of the link 30 is pivotally connected to the outer end of anarm corresponding to the arm 23 on the other side. This arm has itsinner end rigid with a shaft 31. Rigid with the upper end of the shaft31 is the inner end of an arm 32. The outer end of the arm 32 carries anupstanding pin 33. Connected to the upper end of the pin 33 andprojecting toward the feed arm 28 is a feed arm 34. The inner end of thefeed arm 34 carries a blade 35 which is normally engaged from above bythe edge of the angularly disposed blade 29 in the manner shown in FIG.3. It is thus apparent that rocking of the shaft 15 under control of thecam 12 will cause limited swinging movement of the feed arms 28 and 34as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, suitably journaled betweenupright supports 36 on the frame is a guide roller 37, a small lowerpressure roller 38, a larger upper pressure roller 39, a heated ironingroller 40, and a guide roller 41.

- Suitably supported on a table 42 is a tubular guide 43 for theX-ray-responsive thread 44. A guide eye 45 for the thread is alsosupported on the table. The thread is guided between the forward edgesof the blades 29 and 35 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), which blades are ontop of a guide plate 46, the latter having its upper surface insubstantially the plane of the uppermost periphery of the roller 38 butspaced slightly away from I the roller 38.

A Web of gauze 47 is fed from a suitable source of supply over the idlerroll 37, beneath and around the rear peripheral portion of the roll 38,and between said peripheral portion and the forward end of the guideplate 46. At this point the thread 44 is fed on top of the gauze and thetwo then pass over the roller 38 and between the bite of the rollers 39and 38, the latter pressing the gauze against the thread. Thereafter theweb passes upwardly through the bite between the roll 39 and the ironingroll 40. Here the gauze is ironed against the thread to make it adheremore firmly. From this point the web is guided forwardly over the roller41 and then away for further processing.

Operation When the feed arms 28 and 34 are in the outward position shownin FIG. 1, the tracer thread 44 extends between the overlapping forwardedges of the blades and passes to the guide plate 46. The thread is fedfrom the forward edge of the guide plate 46 on top of the gauze and isdrawn into the bite between the rollers 38 and 39 with the gauze.

The cam follower 13 is shown in FIG. 2 just before it starts its feedmovement. As the cam 12 rotates in a clockwise direction, referring toFIG. 2, the follower 13 travels radially inwardly along the feed sectionF of the cam surface. Thereafter the follower is in engagement with auniformly low or dwell portion D for a predetermined distance whichholds the formed loop until it is taken away by the rollers 38 and 39.Thereafter the follower 13 engages a return section R of the cam and thefeed arms 28 and 34 are gradually returned to withdrawn position.

In the starting position of FIG. 3, also shown in FIG. 9, the forwardedge of the thin lower blade 35, preferably formed of metal, issupported on the guide plate 46, and the thin flexible top blade 29,formed of light spring steel and more flexible than the bottom blade, isin the position illustrated in FIG. 3. Before forward movement of thearms 28 and 34 starts, the top blade 29 is supported by the forward endof a bar 48 (see FIG. 3). The latter is adjustably supported on a post49 through which bolts 50 extend through elongated slots 51 in the bar48. Thus the forward edge of the blade 29 is kept slightly out ofcontact with the thread until swinging movement of the arms 28 and 34starts.

As soon as the arms 28 and 34 start to swing inwardly toward the rollersthe blade 29 moves off of the forward end of the bar 48 and the slightlyflexing nature of the metal of the blade 29 causes its outer end to bearyieldingly against the thread 44 so that the latter is lightly grippedbetween the blade 35 and the flexed forward end of the blade 29.

As the arms 28 and 34 swing forwardly, the blade 35 starts to travel inan are A over the center line in a generally lefthand direction, and theblade 29 starts to travel in an arc B past the center line in an opposite or generally righthand direction. The thread 44 is directly onthe center line C/L. Referring now to FIG. 10, which is a sectionthrough the blades, it will be seen that this action illustrated in FIG.9 causes a clockwise rotational twisting of the thread 44, as isillustr-ated in FIG. 10. The amount of twisting is controlled by theposition of the pivots P of FIG. 9 with relation to the nip N of therollers, this twisting also being a result of a forward portion of thethread being gripped between the bite of the rollers 38 and 39. Thistwisting action causes the thread to flip into a partial loop L, as inFIG. 4. The finger 52 merely keeps the thread from wandering too farsideways in a righthand direction. This finger is not essential but isfound to give improved results. Further travel of the blades slightlybeyond the position of FIG. 4 is illustrated in FIG. 5 where thepartially-formed loop L is disclosed in perspective. At the end of theforward stroke of the blades the part X of the loop of FIG. 4 hasflipped beneath the other part of the loop to the position shown in FIG.6 to form the completely closed loop, with part of the loop overlappingthe pointed end of the finger 52. By having the blades move in the arcsindicated in FIG. 9 around the pivot centers P, which are substantiallyaligned with the nip N of the rollers, and by having one blade move inone direction; over center line C/L and the other blade move in theopposite direction, as shown in FIG. 10, the thread is twisted withoutbeing moved sidewi-se.

At the completion of the forward stroke the cam follower 13 arrives atthe dwell portion D of the cam which holds the blades in forwardposition for a short time to allow the loop to enter the bite betweenthe rollers. The loop L of FIG. 6 is drawn with the gauze coming overthe roller 38 into the bite between the rollers 38 and 39 so that thegauze is pressed against the thread and its loops. Thereafter thecontoured portion R of the cam 12 causes return of the arms 28 and 34and the blades carried thereby, the blades sliding backward on thethread, which action is permitted by the springiness of the upper blade29. At the completion of said return, the end of the bar 48 raises theblade 29 slightly out of contact with the lower blade. This allows thethread to untwist prior to the next forward feed.

Thereafter the thread advances between the roller 39 and the gauze and,when it passes between the bite of the rollers 39 and 40, the heatedroller 40 causes ironing of the gauze onto the thread and its loops tomake them adhere. Thereafter the gauze advances beyond the guide roller41 and it will be noted from FIG. 7 that the gauze 47 has the thread 44spaced inwardly from one of its edges with spaced loops L thereon.

The web shown in FIG. 7 is then advanced to cutting mechanism which cutsit off in suitable lengths, and these lengths are then folded either bymachine or manually to form pads of the type shown in FIG. 8, each padcomprising a plurality of superimposed folded sections and there being aplurality of non-coinciding loops.

It is apparent from the above that a very efficient form of mechanismhas been provided for continuously laying a length of thread on acontinuously traveling web of gauze, the apparatus providing for theformation of loops in the thread just before the thread is laid on thegauze, said loops being spaced a predetermined distance apart.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated as maycome within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising meansfor advancing said webfrom a source of supply, a lower blade over whicha thread is fed from a source of supply to said web, an upper bladedisposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a freeforward edge normally yieldingly engageable with the upper surface ofsaid lower blade beneath which the thread extends, means for causingwithdrawal movement of said web with the thread thereon at a constantrate, means for periodically moving said blades in the direction ofmovement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twistingof the portion of the thread between the blade-engaging portion of thethread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning theblades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means for causingsaid blades to release said thread on said return movement whereby thethread may untwist, said means for causing withdrawal of said web andthread including means pressing the web against the looped thread.

2. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising meansfor advancingsaid web from a source of supply, a lower blade over whicha thread is fed from a source of supply to said web, an upper bladedisposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a freeforward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lowerblade between which the thread extends, means for causing withdrawalmovement of said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, meansfor periodically moving said blades in the direction of movement of theweb and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twisting of the portionof the thread between the blade-engaged portion of the thread and themoving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades uponcompletion of the loop forming operation, means engaged by the upperblade at the completion of its return movement for elevating its freeforward edge out of engagement with the lower blade to permit untwistingof the thread, said means for causing withdrawal of said web and threadincluding means pressing the web against the looped thread.

3. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising meansfor advancing said web from a source of supply, a lower blade over whicha thread is fed from a source of supply to said web, an upper bladedisposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a freeforward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lowerblade between which the thread extends, means for causing withdrawalmovement of said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, meansfor periodically moving said blades in the direction of movement of theweb and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twisting of the portionof the thread between the blade-engaged portion of the thread and themoving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades uponcompletion of the loop forming operation, an adjustable support barhaving an end engaged by the upper blade upon completion of its returnmovement for elevating its free forward edge out of engagement with thelower blade to permit untwisting of the thread, said means for causingwithdrawal of said web and thread including means pressing the webagainst the looped thread.

4. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising meansfor advancing said web from a source of supply, a lower blade over whicha thread is fed from a source of supply to said web, an upper blade ofthin flexible material disposed at an angle with respect to said lowerblade and having a free forward edge normally yieldingly engageable withthe upper surface of said lower blade between which the thread extends,means for causing withdrawal movement of said web with the threadthereon at a constant rate, means for periodically moving said blades inthe direction of movement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slackin and twisting of the portion of the thread between the blade-engagedportion of the thread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed andfor returning the blades upon completion of the loop forming operation,means for causing said blades to release said thread on said returnmovement whereby the thread may untwist, said means for causingwithdrawal of said web and thread including means pressing the webagainst the looped thread.

5. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising meansfor advancing said web, a thread supporting plate, means for supportingsaid plate above the moving web, a lower blade on said plate insubstantial parallelism therewith for movement thereon, an upper bladedisposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a freeforward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lowerblade, means for guiding thread from a source to said moving web betweensaid blades and over said plate, means for causing withdrawal movementof said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, means forperiodically moving said blades over said plate in the direction ofmovement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twistingof a portion of the thread between the blade-engaged portion of thethread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning theblades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means for causingsaid blades 6 to release said thread on said return movement whereby thethread may untwist, said means for causing withdrawal of said web andthread including means pressing the Web against the looped thread.

6. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising meansfor advancing said web, a thread supporting plate, means for supportingsaid plate above the moving web, a lower blade on said plate insubstantial parallelism therewith for movement thereon, an upper bladedisposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a freeforward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lowerblade, means for guiding thread from a source to said moving web betweensaid blades and over said plate, means for causing withdrawal movementof said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, means forperiodically moving said blades over said plate in the direction ofmovement of the web and at a faster rate to cause slack in and twistingof a portion of the thread between the blade-engaged portion of thethread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning theblades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means for causingsaid blades to release said thread on said return movement whereby thethread may untwist, a guide finger having a free end, means forsupporting said guide finger above said plate to extend alongside thethread in the direction of feed movement thereof with its free endadjacent the moving web, said means for causing withdrawal of said weband thread including means pressing the web against the looped thread.

7. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising meansfor advancing said web, a thread supporting plate, means for supportingsaid plate above the moving web, a lower blade on said plate insubstantial parallelism therewith for movement thereon, an upper bladedisposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a freefor-Ward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lowerblade, means for guiding thread from a source to said moving web betweensaid blades and over said plate, means for causing withdrawal movementof said web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, arms projectinglaterally toward one another and supported for oscillatory movement in agenerally horizontal plane, said blades being supported by the outerends of said arms, means for periodically moving said arms in the samedirection as the movement of the web and at a faster rate in oppositearcs which cross the line of the thread to cause slack in and twistingof a portion of the thread between the bladeengaged portion of thethread and the moving web whereby a loop is formed and for returning theblades upon completion of the loop forming operation, means for causingsaid blades to release said thread upon said return movement whereby thethread may untwist, said means for causing withdrawal of said web andthread including means pressing the web against the looped thread.

8. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising apair of engaging rollers between which a web of flexible material isdrawn, a thread supporting plate, means for supporting said plate abovethe moving web with its free edge near the bite between the rollers, alower blade on said plate in substantial parallelism therewith, an upperblade disposed at an angle with respect to said lower blade and having afree forward edge normally engageable with the upper surface of saidlower blade, means for guiding thread from a source to said moving webbetween said blades and over said plate, means for driving said rollersto withdraw the web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, andmeans for periodically moving said blades toward the bite of the rollersand at a faster rate than the withdrawal movement of the web indirections to cause slack in and twisting of a portion of the threadbetween the blade-engaged portion of the thread and the bite of therollers whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades uponcompletion of the loop forming operation, and means for causing saidblades to release said thread on said return movement whereby the threadmay untwist.

9. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible web comprising arelatively large upper roller, a smaller roller in a forward positionbelow said upper roller and in engagement therewith in a manner toexpose the top periphery of said smaller roller, means for guiding a webof flexible material in front of and over the top periphery of saidsmaller roller and then between the two rollers, a thread supportingplate, means for supporting said plate above the moving web with itsupper surface in the plane of said top periphery of the smaller rollerand with its free edge adjacent said top periphery, a lower blade onsaid plate in substantial parallelism therewith, an upper blade disposedat an angle with respect to said lower blade and having a free forwardedge normally engageable with the upper surface of said lower blade,means for guiding thread from a source to said-moving web between saidblades and over said plate, means for driving said rollers to withdrawthe web with the thread thereon at a constant rate, and means forperiodically moving said blades toward the bite of the rollers and at afaster rate than the withdrawal movement of the web in opposite arcsarranged to cause slack in and twisting of a portion of the threadbetween the blade-engaged portion of the thread and the bite of therollers whereby a loop is formed and for returning the blades uponcompletion of the loop forming operation, and means for causing saidblades to release said thread on said return movement whereby the threadmay untwist.

10. Apparatus for laying looped thread on a flexible Web comprisingmeans for advancing said web from a source of supply, means for guidingthread from a source to said moving web, means including movable flatblades between which the thread passes for periodically causingrotational twisting of the thread between the blades and for producingslack in the thread between the blades and web to flip the thread into aloop just prior to the merger of said looped portion of the thread withthe web and for periodically releasing the thread to permit untwistingthereof, and means for pressing the web against the looped thread.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 65,768 6/1867Rose 1121OO 2,698,270 12/1954 Mesek l56-l77 3,133,538 5/1964 Pratt etal. 128-296 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,697 1903 Great Britain.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner.

10. APPARATUS FOR LAYING LOOPED THREAD ON A FLEXIBLE WEB COMPRISINGMEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID WEB FROM A SOURCE OF SUPPLY, MEANS FOR GUIDINGTHREAD FROM A SOURCE TO SAID MOVING WEB, MEANS INCLUDING MOVABLE FLATBLADES BETWEEN WHICH THE THREAD PASSES FOR PERIODICALLY CAUSINGROTATIONAL TWISTING OF THE THREAD BETWEEN THE BLADES AND FOR PRODUCINGSLACK IN THE THREAD BETWEEN THE BLADES AND WEB TO FLIP THE THREAD INTO ALOOP JUST PRIOR TO THE MERGER OF SAID LOOPED PORTION OF THE THREAD WITHTHE WEB AND FOR PERIODICALLY RELEASING THE THREAD TO PERMIT UNTWISTINGTHEREOF, AND MEANS FOR PRESSING THE WEB AGAINST THE LOOPED THREAD.